Celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination!

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This important holiday is celebrated worldwide, and has been in effect since 1966, although it’s little said about it especially in mainstream media outlets .It is a celebration in memoriam of the same day as the tragedy the took place in 1960, where police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". “Proclaiming the day in 1966, the General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination” says the article. The website also states “In 1979, the General Assembly adopted a Programme of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination. On that occasion, the General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on 21 March, would be organized annually in all States.”

 

Racism is still prevalent in a lot of countries which is why exposure to this event is so important. The face of racism has changed over the years, evolving into more passive-aggressive daily interactions and micro aggressive backhanded compliments especially in the US. But in more radical parts of the world ethnic cleansings and genocides still take place, resulting in higher racial tensions and upsets. In conclusion, this article addresses many of the issues facing people of color today, while also unintentionally making little to no mention of women who also suffer under systematically oppressive governments.

https://www.un.org/en/events/racialdiscriminationday/background.shtml